The number of officially confirmed COVID-19 cases in Ukraine has reached 23,204 as of 9 a.m. on May 30, according to Ukraine’s health ministry. In total, 696 people have died from the disease in Ukraine and 9,311 patients have recovered.
In the past 24 hours, Ukraine has identified 393 new COVID-19 cases, 17 people have died, 377 have recovered, and 94 people were hospitalized.
Ukraine’s daily COVID-19 cases, deaths and recoveries from May 1 to May 29, 2020. All data were released by the Ministry of Health.
Among all confirmed cases, 1,700 are children and 4,475 are medical workers.
Health Minister Maksym Stepanov said during his morning briefing on May 30 that Ukraine has carried out 10,811 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests in the past 24 hours. In total, Ukraine has conducted 348,279 tests to date, according to the Center for Public Health.
Ukraine’s daily new COVID-19 cases and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, the most accurate way of diagnosing the novel coronavirus, between May 1 and May 29, 2020. All data were published by the Ministry of Health.
In addition, laboratories across the country carried out 1,560 antibody tests (IFA) for COVID-19. In total, some 6,300 IFA tests have been administered so far, Stepanov said.
The government signed a decree to launch mass antibody testing for COVID-19 on May 19, free for people with COVID-19 symptoms, those who came into contact with infected patients and people who are in risk groups, such as medical workers and the police. Unlike the diagnostic PCR test, the antibody test shows whether a person had the coronavirus in the past and developed some immunity against it.
Stepanov said that antibody tests are more available than the PCR tests due to the wider laboratory network in regional hospitals that can carry them out.
Chernivtsi Oblast in western Ukraine remains the worst-hit region in Ukraine, with 3,306 confirmed cases. 904 of them have reportedly recovered.
It is followed by the city of Kyiv with 2,904 cases, Rivne Oblast with 1,680 cases, and Kyiv Oblast with 1,556 cases. These numbers indicate the total cases confirmed since the beginning of the pandemic, not just active ones.
Ukraine started stage two of easing COVID-19 quarantine restrictions on May 22, under a new “adaptive quarantine” plan. The government plans to ease restrictions every 10 days for oblasts that meet certain criteria up until June 22, the new expiration date for the quarantine.
On May 25, the cities of Kyiv, Kharkiv and Dnipro relaunched their metro systems.
The country is set to enter the third stage of lifting quarantine on June 1, according to Viktor Lyashko, deputy health minister and the country’s top sanitary doctor.
At this stage, Ukrainian oblasts that meet requirements set by the Ministry of Health will be allowed to restore passenger railway and bus travel between oblasts, open gyms, and swimming pools and relaunch certain educational classes — like driving lessons — in groups of no more than 10 people.
According to Lyashko, as of May 26, seven oblasts haven’t yet entered the second stage.
